Aaron shot me an advance copy of his album and told me to give him my honest opinion. Here it is.

So, here we are again, reviewing the efforts of our friends and neighbors in a late night attempt to gain legitimacy as a writer. To that end, here’s the review of Aaron Huff’s new album, “Bloodstone for Courage”.

The title gives no clues as to what, if anything will be on the disk. The cover art is somewhat predictable, and having seen it, you’ll not be surprised by the back cover either. I understand variations on a theme, but this is just “Obscurity is Forever” a few years later. The layout of the artwork, the font choices, even the number of syllables is hearkening back to that album.

One would be surprised then, to find a complete departure from the ordinary in stylistic theme of the overall musical work. Amazingly, Aaron Huff has managed to strip away MOST of his supporting cast, as well as getting rid of almost any other instruments.

With only his voice and a few guitars, Aaron Huff can move you. Can he sing? Not really, his voice cracks noticeably, and his tone is far from perfect. Can he write? Fuck yes he can. His rhyme schemes are tight, and he doesn’t lean on the crutch of slant-rhyme like his contemporaries. More than that though, his songs are a thoughtful journal entry in this chapter of his life, and whatever he’s reflecting on, he holds nothing back.

The subtractive method works on most songs, but where there was even ONE more guitar, things started to feel busy in my headphones, and it was hard to pick what to listen to. He assures me this will be remedied in the mixing/mastering stage, but he should’ve had the good sense to keep to his theme.

The main, major problem with this album? It lacks humor. Not only is this album dark, it lacks UTTERLY in any of that smirking charm the man himself has. Why he put so much effort into keeping the lights off, I’ll never know, but I’d like to hear at least ONE clever turn of phrase to make me chuckle.

Other than that? I think this album is clearly some of his best writing. “Our Hero”, “Warm Beer”, “Hand Me Down”? some of his best works to date, and certainly make the album worth buying.

He’s got two of those up on his RVN page, you can check him here: www.reverbnation.com/aaronhuff

Keep an eye on this kid, he’s got the chops, and with a little polish here and there? He’s going places.